Umbrella (girl x girl)

The Homestead

Sun.

It was a rare thing out in the Valley. The mountains served as a sort of vortex, sucking in every single raincloud that ever formed. And if it wasn't raining, it was depressingly foggy to the point where a person couldn't see six feet in front of them. All the locals had long since become accustomed to their endlessly grey landscape.

It was the sort of greyness that accompanied that bitter feeling of always being soaked to the bone. Everything in the Valley was always wet. The soil was wet. The needles of the pine trees were always wet. A heavy film of water constantly lingered on the paved highways, rising up like mist whenever one of the local shabby pickup trucks drove by. Nobody ever went anywhere without an umbrella or a raincoat. That was just the social expectation in a place like this. Because it was always, always wet.

Except for today.

Today was the first --and probably the last-- day of sunshine of the entire year. The soil and the pine needles were still wet from the morning fog, but now those pearl-like droplets of water were glowing with the reflection of the blessed sun. Dozens birds and bugs had emerged from their hiding places, all singing together to greet the brilliant daylight.

Amidst the lush green of the grass, Sawyer was reclining backwards in a lawn chair, embracing the fleeting sunlight with a look of utter delight. Despite their tattered and muddy farming clothes, they almost resembled a rich noble, basking in their own wealth. This was the picture of rural happiness, relaxed and warm amidst the light and the dew.

"Sawyer!" A sweet voice caused them to open their eyes.

A young woman stood at the end of the gravel driveway, a sunhat shading her eyes. One of her freckled arms gripped a blue suitcase, and the other was raised in an energetic wave. When Sawyer saw her, they nearly fell out of their chair in excitement.

"Ha! I told her you'd be just fine getting here on your own," They said, scrambling over to her, "So the bus ride wasn't all that bad?"

"It was a breeze compared to the buses in the city,"

She smiled, revealing a set of straight, white teeth. Sawyer couldn't hold back anymore and immediately pulled her into a hug.

"Wow Willow, you've grown so much! You're lookin' more and more like your momma!" They told her, "I bet she's really happy about that,"

"She takes good care of me," Willow replied.

Sawyer started leading her towards a rickety house-shaped structure on the hillside. It was made entirely out of wood, with flaking paint and a door that was swinging open on its hinges. Though it was a little rustic, the abundance of life around it certainly gave it some charm.

"Well I'm glad she sent you to live out here for a bit. Life's awful lonely here on the homestead, but that's gonna change now that you're here." They ushered her forward, "Go on. Get inside and unpack, I'll show you the lay of the land,"

"Sounds great,"

"Then whaddaya say you and I pop into town tomorrow after I've got you all settled in, hm? I'll introduce you to some of the folks around here. You're gonna need some people to talk to other than that long distance boyfriend of yours,"

Willow froze.

"You know about that?"

"Your momma and I talked on the phone earlier." Sawyer waved a hand, "What's his name? Jordan or something like that?"

After a moment of hesitation, Willow nodded once. Her fingers holding onto the handle of her suitcase curled slightly, but Sawyer didn't seem to care at all.

"Well, you write to that Jordan tonight and tell him Sawyer says hi," They said with a smile, "But before you do that, you gotta see the place first so you don't decide to go running back after you've already told him you're here. C'mon, I'll show you around,"

Though Sawyer and Willow were the only human inhabitants of The Homestead, it was absolutely packed with life. Birds, bugs, foxes, wild deer, and the occasional bear shared the land with the people and the plants. Most of the property was woodland, with ferns and wild berries growing amidst the muddy forest. There were a couple of structures dotted here and there; the house, an old RV, and a deteriorating brown barn in case Sawyer ever decided to resume caring for livestock. The works.

The surrounding area was beautiful as well. The property was built on the slope of the mountain, so flooding wasn't a problem for The Homestead like it was for the town at the bottom of the Valley. It also had an excellent view of the whole region from the top of the mountains to the base of the river, it had it all. Because of the incessant rain, the air was constantly being washed clean, giving it a sweet, fresh scent. It was all part of the beauty that made up rural life.

...

That night, Willow lay bundled up in her new bedroom. Sawyer had promised to get her a proper bedframe soon, but for now, she was sprawled out on a camping mattress with hardly any furniture for her to use --unless she dragged a chair in from the kitchen. But she didn't seem to mind any of that. A bed was a bed, after all.

Amidst the warm lamplight and the smell of old wood, she struggled to come up with the words for her letter. Before she left, she had promised to keep her boyfriend updated on her adventures. However, it was often easier to talk in person than it was to plan out an entire letter. So after thinking for a while, she finally came up with a plan and quickly started curling a few words onto the page.

Dear Jordan

Things are so different here compared to the city. It's so quiet, I haven't heard a siren once and I haven't seen a single other person since I got off the bus. Also, the air is so clear that you can actually see the mountains, I can't believe it! Probably because apparently it rains so much, although it was sunny today so I'm not sure if Mom was just saying that to freak me out or something. Either way, I made sure I packed an umbrella.

I miss you. Sawyer doesn't have a telephone in the house, but apparently there are plenty of payphones around the town. I'll call you as soon as I can and you can tell me about everything that's happening back home. Until then, please don't forget about me.

Lots of love,
-Your Willow.

She let out a soft, heartfelt sigh. Then, after glancing over her page, she suddenly remembered to add something:

P.S. Sawyer says hi.

Then she folded the letter into an envelope and penned out the address she had dutifully memorized. Once she was done, she flicked out the light and snuggled down for the night.

Willow hadn't been to visit her mother's hometown since she was a child. This was her first time back on The Homestead in many years, and it was the first time she had visited without her mother. There was no saying what would come of this adventure of hers, but her mother had told her that it would do Willow some good.

Hopefully her mother would be right.

...